Beshear: Legislature Committed To Rooting Out Sexual Harassment

Gov. Steve Beshear says he’s confident the legislature is serious about combating sexual harassment in the state house.

That's despite a Legislative Ethics Commission ruling Tuesday that stopped short of punishing former Rep. John Arnold, who is accused of harassing three state workers.

A majority of the commission found Arnold guilty of violating state ethics laws, but the panel fell one vote shy of the five votes needed to fine or sanction him. Three members of the nine-member commission were absent for the vote. Gov. Steve Beshear says he would have preferred to see all members present.

"It was concerning, although obviously people do schedule vacations and all of that and they never know when these cases may be coming. But I was disappointed that they didn't have enough people there to at least conclude one way or the other," he says.

Arnold has been charged with sexually harassing the state employees over four years, but denies the allegations. Arnold’s attorney has argued the former lawmaker suffers from dementia, which has affected his mental health.